iPhone 8 aka “Edition” Could Be Delayed, Apple Inc. Stock Wavers

Everything we think we know about the iPhone 8 may be completely wrong. A new rumor going around suggests that not only might the phone not be called the iPhone 8 or even the iPhone X, but it might be delayed and maybe not even have some features that were thought to be definite, like an OLED display. The phone might also be delayed by one or two months, which goes against the (albeit unlikely) report that it would be released within weeks.

Image: Sheeraz Raza, ValueWalk

iPhone 8 delayed?

Japanese-language tech blog Macotakara served up a triple helping of bad news this morning. Apple stock initially showed signs of weakness, but surprisingly, it wasn’t shaken all that much by all the disappointing news. About the only good thing here is that the blog has a rather mixed history when it comes to reporting Apple rumors. Some have been dead on, while others have been dead wrong.

First, Macotakara reports that the iPhone 8 might not arrive alongside the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus in September, which discounts the rumor that all three handsets will arrive at the same time. The 8 is supposedly an even more premium version of the iPhone to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and it’s rumored to bear a price tag greater than $1,000.

Component supplies blamed for the delay

According to Macotakara, the iPhone 8 could still launch in time for the holiday shopping season, but it won’t be for quite a while after the big reveal. This seems to suggest that Apple will show off the phone with the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus in September but not put it on sale until months later.

Macotakara isn’t the only website reporting that the more premium model will be delayed. French-language website iGeneration is reporting the same thing, although it’s blaming component supply problems. Specifically, it’s said to be related to 3D imagers ordered from STMicroelectronics. The supplier told investors recently that it was expecting a large amount of orders from a big customer in the second half of this year. Although it didn’t name Apple, most assumed that the iPhone maker is that customer.

iPhone 8 said to be still in the prototype phase

However, the reason for the delay given by Macotakara is because the company hasn’t yet finalized the phone’s design. It’s supposedly still in the prototype phase, but usually by now the new iPhone models are close to entering production. Macotakara seems to suggest that more than one model is still being tested, and there are various features on each one, which could mean that some of the features we were expecting won’t make it into the tenth anniversary iPhone.

For example, we’ve been hearing for months that the iPhone 8 will have an OLED display, so the general consensus is that it definitely will. However, Apple is reportedly still testing both LCDs and AMOLED displays. We’ve also been hearing that the phone probably won’t have a Home button, but again, the prototype without a Home button is also apparently still in testing. Other features that appear to be in the testing phase still are some with new glass, an aluminum chassis and white ceramics casing.

Macotakara also claims that Apple has decided against using USB Type-C. There were conflicting rumors about this very feature last week.

iPhone 8 or iPhone Edition?

The blog adds that the company has definitively decided on a 5-inch display, dual-lens camera, wireless charging and Lightning port. However, this runs against what Nikkei said earlier this week, which was that it will have a 5.8-inch display rather than a 5-inch screen.

It also claims that the iPhone 8 won’t actually be called by the name or even by the iPhone X moniker a few have assigned to it. Instead, it claims that the handset will be the iPhone Edition, which is plausible given that instead of the Apple Watch 2, the company went with the Apple Watch Edition name.

Apple stock not changed much by the news

Some analysts have been warning that all the high expectations for the tenth anniversary iPhone could send Apple stock plunging if it disappoints, but surprisingly, the news about a delay didn’t affect it all that much. Apple stock slipped by as much as 0.39% to $138.46 but remains near its all-time highs.

Analyst Jahanara Nissar from Odeon Capital warned about potential profit-taking in the stock if chatter about a delay in the phone’s release continues. She notes that these reports are not isolated, as in addition to iGeneration (and now Macotakara), AppleInsider and Digitimes also reported on a delay. However, she adds that it shouldn’t be a surprise that the phone might be delayed because of the phone’s “radical redesign.” The problem is that a delay might not be factored into the Street’s expectations.

Author: Michelle JonesMichelle Jones was a television news producer for eight years. She produced the morning news programs for the NBC affiliates in Evansville, Indiana and Huntsville, Alabama and spent a short time at the CBS affiliate in Huntsville. She has experience as a writer and public relations expert for a wide variety of businesses. Michelle has been with ValueWalk since 2012 and is now our editor-in-chief. Email her at Mjones@valuewalk.com.